Typewriting machine



Aug. 14, 1928. 1580.793

A. G. F. KUROWSKI TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed July 21, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 //7 ye/zfar:

Aug. 14, 1928. 1,680,793

A. s. F. KUROWSKI TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed July 21, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fly. 4.

REAR VIEW /0 Venn/ Patented Aug. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED G. F. KUROWSKI, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 UNDERWOOD ELLIOTT FISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

TYPE'WBITING MACHINE.

This invention relates to stencil-card holding and typing machines, and one of its features relates to means for controlling the ribbon-vibrating mechanism of the machines.

In my pending application, Serial No. 708,332, filed April 23, 1924 (now Patent No. 1,608,219, dated November 23, 1926), there is shown mechanism for feeding a stencil-card in front of a revolubly mounted platen. In said application the card is held in contact with the platen at the edges thereof, and is fed upwardly and downwardly by rotating the platen.

Owing to the construction of the Underwood machine, in which the universal bar frame is arranged across the machine underneath the platen, only comparatively short cards may be used, because the lower edge of the card strikes the universal bar frame, therefore preventing the positioning of comparatively long cards all the way down to permit writing upon the upper edges thereof. One of the features of this invention relates to means whereby comparatively long stencil-cards may be handled, in which it is sometimes desirable to write upon the frame of the card with the aid of the ribbon, and to silence the ribbon and write with the bare type upon the stencil-sheet. To this end, the universal bar frame is U-shaped forming a deep pocket into which the lower portion of the card is housed when lowered to type upon the upper edge thereof.

In the Underwood machine, there is provided a ribbon-controlling mechanism operated by keys in front of the machine. Said mechanism is built underneath the universal bar frame, and is provided with links and allied elements which prevent the lowering or bending of the usual universal bar frame. Since the frame has to be bent to form a pocket for the card, novel mechanism is provided to vibrate the ribbon in either upper or lower field and to silence the ribbon, so that the type will not be covered when striking the type.

The mechanism disclosed in this invention is furthermore adapted to be used with a double-shift platen, and may be used if desired with a bichrome ribbon, the mechanism being, of course, also controlled by the position of the platen.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of an Underwood standard typewriting machine having the invention embodied therein, and shows the card in its lowermost position.

Figure 2 is a similar view, showing the ribbon mechanism in its operated position.

Figure 3 is a similar view, showing the platen in upper-case position.

Figure 4 is a rear view, in elevation, showing a portion of the ribbon-controlling mechamsm.

Figure 5 is a front view, in elevation, showing the ribbon mechanism operatively connected to the ribbon-controlling keys.

According to this invention, a stencil-card 10 is inserted in front of a platen 11 and is held in contact therewith by means of pressure rolls 12, which are rotatably mounted on a frame 13, the frame in turn being rockably mounted on a shaft 14. Then, the platen is rotated backwardly to lower the card which is guided by means of a deflector plate 15 in a manner to clear the type-bar segment 16 upon which type-bars 17 are pivotally mounted at 18.

Owing to the comparatively long card, which is handled in this type of machine, there is provided a universal bar frame 19 forming a pocket 20 to clear the bottom edge of the card. The universal bar frame isslidably mounted in a slot in the segment 16, l which receives a sliding member 21 and is supported at the rear in the regular way upon a pair of arms 22 by means of a pin 23 fast to a bracket 24 which forms a part of the universal bar frame. The universal bar frame extends downwardly, rearwardly and upwardly at 25, terminating with a horizontal portion 26, the end of which engages with a air of dogs 27 designed to release one toot of an escapement-wheel 28 at each key depression. It will be understood that the universal bar frame is connected with a curved universal bar 29, and that each typebar is provided with a heel 30 designed to strike and force the universal bar rearwardly at each key depression, in a manner shown in Figure 2. It will also be seen from Figures 1 and 2 that the deflector-plate 15 serves to guide the card 10, so that, when its lower portion is positioned in the pocket 20, the card will not be touched by either the front or the rear members of the vibrating pocket at any time. This advantageous arrangement permits a card to remain stationary in the vibrating pocket.

In order to raise the ribbon in front of the types at each key depression, there is provided novel mechanism controlled by the movement of the universal bar. In the patent to Cook, No. 926,050, of June 22, 1909, there is shown a ribbon selecting and silencing mechanism, which comprises a pair of rockably mounted keys and a silencing lever effective to neutralize the position of the keys, so as to render ineffective the ribbon mechanism, and therefore hold the ribbon stationary. In this invention there is provided a similar mechanism which comprises a shaft 31, protruding to the outside of the machineframe 32 in front thereof, a pair of keys 33 and 34, rockably mounted on said shaft, and a neutralizing lever 35 effective to silence the ribbon. Upon depressing the keys 33, the shaft 31 1S rocked so as to swing an arm 36 fast thereto. The end of the arm 36 is operatively connected to a link 37 at 38, which link is also operatively connected at 39 to a sliding actuator member 40, mounted upon the upwardly-extending rear portion 25 of the universal bar frame. The sliding member is provided with two downwardly-extending ears 41, into which there are perforated slots 42 engaging with either of two pins 43 and 44, fast to a ribbon-control lever 45, pivotally mounted at 46 upon a slidin bracket 47. The lever 45 extends forwardly, the end thereof being connected at 48 to a link 49 which extends upwardly and is, in turn, connected to a ribbon-vibrator 50 at 51.

Owing to the position of the two pins 43 and 44 in relation to the pivot 46 of the lever 45, it will be apparent that the ribbon will be raised more or less, depending on which one of the two pins is engaged with the sliding member 40. Since the latter is moved a uniform amount, the angular swing of the lever 45 is variable, according to the distance between the pivot of the lever and the actuating pin. In order to facilitate the sliding of the member 40, there is provided a locating block 52 fast to the universal bar frame by means of screws 53, the block being provided with a guiding piece 54 extending the full length of the block and engaging with a slot 55 in the member 40.

Since it is desired to adapt this invention to typewriting machines having a shiftable platen, mechanism is provided tocompensate or the position of the platen when the ribbon is raised so that the same may be raised to the proper height and at the same time present to the types the proper field of the ribbon. Said mechanism is controlled by the platen-shifting mechanism and includes a fixed bracket 56, having a locating block 57 fast thereto by means of a screw 58, the locating block having flanges 59 to position the bracket 47, into which there is pierced an elongated slot 60 engaging with the block 57. The upper end of the bracket 47 is ro vided with a bent portion 61 through w ich th bracket is operatively connected to an arm 62 fast to the platen-shifting framerail 63. In order to render this connection adjustable, the arm 62 is secured to the rail 63 by means of screws 64 through an elongated slot 65.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a typewriting machine having a shift-frame, a revoluble platen carried by said shift-frame, a type-bar segment and a letter-spacing escapement-mechanism, in combination, a ribbon-vibrator, a universal bar frame having a level front portion arranged for to-and-fro movement through a slot in said segment, a rear portion engagmg said escapement-mechanism and a U- shaped pocket-portion disposed between said front and rear portions for receiving the lower end of a card inserted downwardly in typing position at said platen, said pocket-portion having a vertical rear wall, an actuator for said vibrator mounted on the rear side of said rear wall, a bell-crank between said actuator and said vibrator and arranged for supporting the latter, and a vertically-slidable member fastened to said shift-frame for lateral adjustment thereon and having said bell-crank pivoted to its lower end for raising the bell-crank upwardly concomitantly with said platen whereby said vibrator may vibrate a ribbon in co-operation with said platen in upper-case position.

2. In a typewriting machine having a platen, the combination with a type-bar segment, a ribbon-vibrator, a universal bar and an escapement-mechanism, of a universal bar frame fastened to said universal bar and having a front member engaging in a slot-in said segment, a rear portion of said frame operatively engaging said escapement-mechanism, a middle portion of said frame havmg a U-shape and being disposed in said machine for receiving the lower end of a card fed downwardly in front of said platen, said U-shaped portion having a width, front to rear, exceeding the distance moved by said universal bar, and an actuator for said ribbon-vibrator mounted on the back wall of the U-shaped portion of said universal bar frame.

3. In a typewriting machine having a platen-shift frame, the combination with a platen, a shift-rail, a ribbon-vibrator and a universal bar, of a universal bar frame having a U-shaped pocket-portion for receiving a card fed downwardly in engagement with said platen, said pocket-portion having an upright rear wall, an actuator for said ribbon-vibrator having vertical slots and being mounted on the back side of said rear wall for lateral adjustment thereon, a bellcranlc connecting said actuator and said rib bon-vibrator, pins in said bell-crank engaging the slots of said actuator, a verticall slidable member mounted in the rear of said pocket and having said bell-crank pivoted thereto, and -rearwardl '-extending interponents mounted for lateral adjustment on said shift-rail, and being connected with said slidable member, whereby said bellcrank and said vibrator may be raised for co-operating with said platen upon shifting the latter to upper-case position.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen and a universal bar of a universal bar frame fastened to said bar and arranged with a U-shaped pocket to the rear of said bar for receiving a lower free portion of a card fed downwardly in front of said platen, said pocket having a width, front to rear, exceeding the distance moved by said universal bar, and means outside of said pocket for maintaining said card with its lower portion extending freely in said pocket so that the card will remain stationary upon vibration of said pocket.

5. In a typewriting machine, in combination, a revoluble platen, a feed-roll engaging said platen adjacent the printing line for feeding a card downwardly and upwardly with respect thereto, a deflector-plate in front of said platen for guiding-said card, said platen, feed-roll and deflector-plate cooperatively engaging said card to maintain the card against the platen at the printing line and so that, when the lower portion of the card projects downwardly from the platen, it will be held against relative movement with respect to the platen, a universal bar, and a universal bar frame fastened to said bar and arranged with a U-shaped pocket into which the projected lower portion of the card may freely extend, said pocket having front and rear walls sepa rated sulficiently so as not to contact said free lower portion of the card when the pocket vibrates with the universal bar.

(3. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a universal bar frame provided with a card-receiving U-shaped pocket having a wide upright rear wall and a laterally adjustable ribbon-vibrator actuator mounted thereon.

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a platen, a ribbon-vibrator and a universal bar, of a universal bar frame fastened to said bar and arranged with a U- shaped pocket to the rear of said bar, and a ribbon-vibrator actuator on the rear wall of said U-shaped pocket.

ALFRED G. F. KUROW'SKI. 

